September 2
[Texts]
***
Snow White
Hyung,
Are you feeling any better?
***
–I’m dying.
***
Snow White
See? I told you to rest today.
***
–I’ve already rested way too much.
–I was tied up with the investigation since last year,
–and my health wasn’t great this year either.
***
Snow White
Ah……
ㅠㅠ
***
–Should I just quit my job?
–Everything’s exhausting these days.
***
Snow White
Why?
***
–Work is one thing, but…
–Hmm.
***
Snow White
??
Is someone at work bullying you?
***
–Not to the point of bullying.
–There are a few people I’m uncomfortable dealing with, though.
***
Snow White
I’ll scold them for you.
***
–Just hearing you say that helps.
–And yesterday, that thing… checking on my parents for me.
–I didn’t even know they were in the hospital.
***
Snow White
It’s nothing.
Something like that isn’t difficult.
***
–What the hell are you, really?;
–Are you the son of some chaebol family or something?
***
Snow White
ㅎㅎ
Instead of worrying about your parents or me right now, focus on your own well-being, hyung.
Still, there wasn’t much damage yesterday.
From what I’ve measured, it seems like when that ghost pulls that kind of shit, it lasts roughly five to ten minutes.
***
–You actually timed it?
–You must be good with horror movies and stuff.
***
Snow White
Yeah, I guess.
***
–You don’t seem like you’d get scared at all.
***
Snow White
It’s just a movie. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
***
–That’s true, but…
–This isn’t a movie.
–It’s something we actually experienced.
–How are you not scared?
–You were scared at first too.
***
Snow White
I was mostly joking around in chat
Of course I was startled at first.
But nothing got broken,
you weren’t hurt,
and all that happened was some handprints got left on the window.
***
–There were like fifty of them. “Some” handprints?
–On the 20th floor.
–That building has really high ceilings too, so it’d be more like the height of the 30th floor.
–And all of them appeared in an instant.
–Ratatatatatatatatat.
–Making that sound.
–They just appeared all at once.
***
Snow White
They weren’t made with blood or anything.
***
–If they had been, I would’ve passed out.
–I’d probably have to give a statement to the police…
***
Snow White
Haha
Don’t worry.
I’m cleaning them off right now.
You were so scared that I even held you in my broad embrace.
***
–Seriously…..
–Stop hugging me.
***
Snow White
You can’t push me away anymore, though.
Ah.
From what I can tell, I think this thing is trying to wear you down psychologically.
That’s just my guess, though.
***
–It’s working pretty well.
–Even now, when I think about yesterday, I feel like I’m going to faint.
***
Snow White
Then you really should’ve rested.
You’re more exhausted because your stamina’s shot.
***
–Office workers are always low on stamina.
–I never even understood the appeal of coffee before, but now I need it to survive.
***
Snow White
ㅠㅠ
I desperately tried to stop you, but you shook me off and went to work anyway.
Since you’re already there, don’t talk weakly.
Don’t worry.
***
–Yeah, okay.
–This isn’t the time for me to be acting weak.
***
Snow White
Also, hyung, about the message I saw yesterday—
they said it wasn’t sent through some hack.
It was sent from your phone.
***
–Ah.
–Ah…..
–I was so startled I dropped my phone.
***
Snow White
Since you dropped it anyway,
get a new phone.
How old is that model, seriously?
***
–I really didn’t send it.
–I didn’t even take photos like that.
–I was just reading an email when it happened.
***
Snow White
Yeah, I know.
***
–You must’ve been
–really shocked because of those photos.
***
Snow White
Seriously.
There was a photo of a slashed wrist.
I think it was the most shocked I’ve ever been in my life hahaha
***
–TT TT
***
Snow White
It’s fine. You’re safe, hyung.
And, hyung—
from what I can tell,
you said nothing happened at your company, right?
***
–Yeah.
***
Snow White
At 2:22 PM,
you use a desktop at work, right? The company’s computer.
***
–Ah.
–Don’t tell me all those messages are coming from my phone?
–While I’m using it?
***
Snow White
Yeah, I think so.
The actual appearances happen at 2:22 AM.
The messages get sent directly at 2:22 PM.
***
–;;
–Then am I really being possessed and sending them myself?
***
Snow White
I don’t know if it goes that far,
but there does seem to be some connection.
And also, hyung—
that first post you made on the Horror/Mystery Board.
***
–?
***
Snow White
(Screenshot)
***
–Ah.
–Ah, shit.
***
Snow White
The message telling you to reply to the email—
that was sent at 2:22 PM.
***
–What is this?
–Don’t tell me it was trying to lure me into replying?
***
Snow White
I think so.
If you look at a lot of ghost stories, there are quite a few where it can’t come in unless you invite it first.
Maybe it’s something similar.
***
–This is driving me insane.
–But why 2:22 for both?
***
Snow White
Maybe it’s just some concept-obsessed freak who’s crazy about the number 2.
***
–;;
–I’d rather that be the case.
–Rather than it being a ghost,
–or my lover.
***
Snow White
Seriously. If it were a person, we could just arrest them.
Though if it were a person, they wouldn’t be able to leave handprints on a twentieth-floor window.
***
–Stop bringing that up.
–It’s scary, okay?
***
Snow White
Sorry.
But there’s still something I need to say.
***
–Just say it without trying to scare me.
***
Snow White
I wasn’t trying to scare you.
Anyway, just in case, don’t touch your phone at 2:22.
You’re not going home today either?
***
–I was thinking of going to your place.
–But would it be uncomfortable if I stayed there for several days in a row?
***
Snow White
Not at all.
I’ll have dinner ready for you, hyung.
***
–I feel like I’m imposing too much.
–I’ll at least buy you a meal next time.
***
Snow White
Buy me something expensive.
***
–…By your standards?
***
Snow White
Haha no. I just mean somewhere with a nice atmosphere.
Don’t just grab something random.
***
–Yeah, of course.
–Come to think of it, that barbecue place we went to at first wasn’t that great, was it?
–I thought you were just an ordinary college student,
–so I took you there.
–I’ll put more thought into it next time.
***
Snow White
I am an ordinary college student, hyung
It was delicious, so don’t worry.
I go to even cheaper places with my classmates all the time.
***
–That’s a relief, then.
–But this time I’ll treat you properly.
***
Snow White
ㅎㅎ Okay.
Hyung, do you want to try taking a sleeping pill tonight?
***
–A sleeping pill?
***
Snow White
You look so exhausted.
If you sleep deeply, maybe there won’t be any spirit visitation.
You take a sleeping pill, and I’ll—
***
–I’ll take it.
***
Snow White
—be out of the house.
?
***
–??
–Why would you leave?
***
Snow White
No—
Hyung!!
That’s dangerous.
How can you just agree when someone says they’re going to give you sleeping pills?
You learned when you were five or six years old not to take things from other people without thinking, didn’t you?
***
–Yeah, I learned that.
–ㅎㅎ
–Somehow that feels nostalgic.
–It’s been a while since someone scolded me.
***
Snow White
=.=
I seriously can’t believe you.
I wasn’t saying that so you could sit there replaying sentimental memories by yourself;
***
–It’s okay.
–If you were going to hurt me, you would’ve done it already.
–You have plenty of money, and you don’t hold a grudge against me, so what would you even do?
***
Snow White
Hyung.
Don’t say such careless things.
***
–Then don’t leave. Sleep with me.
–We’re both men, so what’s the big deal?
–I’m scared.
–Last night, I only managed to sleep deeply because you were there.
***
Snow White
Ah.
Um.
Okay, then.
Let’s sleep together.
***
–Thanks.
–The bed’s big, so it won’t be uncomfortable, right?
***
Snow White
Of course not.
***
–ㅎㅎ
–Then I should get back to work.
***
Snow White
Okay.
See you later.
***
